AB InBev has unveiled a new set of sustainability commitments to develop local initiatives in smart agriculture, water stewardship, circular packaging and climate action.
These include committing to making 100% of packaging for its products — such as major brands Stella Artois, Budweiser, Corona and Bud Light — returnable or made from majority recycled materials, and reducing carbon emissions by 25% across its supply chain — the equivalent of taking more than 1.5 million cars off the road every year.
AB InBev’s 2025 global sustainability goals comprise:
- water stewardship: 100% of its communities in high stress areas have measurably improved water availability and quality
- circular packaging: 100% of products will be in packaging that is returnable or made from majority recycled content
- climate action: 100% of purchased electricity comes from renewable sources along with a 25% reduction of carbon emissions across the value chain
- smart agriculture: 100% of direct farmers are skilled, connected and financially empowered
These new goals build on the progress made through the brewer’s previous environmental commitments. In the UK, AB InBev has achieved significant progress in reducing the environmental footprint of its supply chain and breweries, including:
- AB InBev now sources more than half of its barley for UK-brewed Budweiser from British farms, and has added the equivalent of 11,000 football pitches of barley to the UK since 2014
- Its breweries in Magor (South Wales) and Samlesbury (Lancashire) have respectively made 20% and 30% water usage savings in the past five years. The amount of water saved daily could fill almost two Olympic-sized swimming pools
- More than 98% of UK-brewed AB InBev products packaged in bottles, cans, kegs and baskets can now be recycled.
AB InBev’s largest UK brewery in Magor has successfully managed to reduce its carbon emissions through an innovative biogas process that turns by-products such as waste water from the brewing process into clean energy.
The brewery’s combined heat and power generator, which is fuelled by biogas, has generated more than 7,600 MWh of electricity in three years — the equivalent of fuelling 3,000 hot-air balloons. The brewery has also invested in a state-of-the-art CO2 recovery plant, with the help of a grant from the Welsh government, which enables all CO2 from fermentation units to be recovered and sent back round the site rather than going out into the atmosphere.
